Potential mechanisms for the hypothesized link between sunshine, vitamin D, and food allergy in children.

Epidemiologic data suggest that the incidence of food allergy (FA) is increasing among children, yet a satisfactory model of its pathogenesis remains elusive. FA is the consequence of maladaptive immune responses to common and otherwise innocuous food antigens. Concurrent with the increase in FA is an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) caused by several factors, especially decreased sunlight/UVB exposure.

Season of birth and food allergy in children.

Background: The prevalence of food allergy is rising, and etiologic factors remain uncertain. Evidence implicates a role for vitamin D in the development of atopic diseases. Based on seasonal patterns of UV-B exposure (and consequent vitamin D status), we hypothesized that patients with food allergy are more often born in fall or winter.

Neonatal microbial flora and disease outcome.

The now outdated perception of microorganisms of the gastrointestinal tract as pathogens or at best commensals continues to undergo remodeling. It is now clear that the microbiome of the gut participates in many activities including: digestion, ecologic protection from pathogens, and an increasingly appreciated immunoregulatory role in vertebrates. Studies of the complex interactions of microbes and hosts point to a convergence of two well-supported (though imperfect) hypotheses: the 'hygiene hypothesis' and the 'fetal programming hypothesis' proposed by Strachan and Barker, respectively.

Isoform-specific interaction of HP1 with human TAFII130.

The general transcription factor TFIID facilitates recruitment of the transcription machinery to gene promoters and regulates initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. hTAF(II)130, a component of TFIID, interacts with and serves as a coactivator for multiple transcriptional regulatory proteins, including Sp1 and CREB. A yeast two-hybrid screen has identified an interaction between hTAF(II)130 and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), a chromatin-associated protein whose function has been implicated in gene silencing.